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Pro Basketball Talk 2010-11 Knicks Preview

Today starts PBT's run through every team in the NBA, looking at the changes and upcoming season. Every weekday from now through the start of the season a new team will be the focus. We start with the Knicks and will spend this week in the Atlantic Division.

Last season: An uninspiring 29-53 record that was not good enough to make the playoffs, for roughly the 495th consecutive season. And, as always, it was Isiah's fault.

Head Coach: Mike D'Antoni, who if the Knicks really struggle again will find out just how much fun the New York media can be.

Best case scenario: Making the playoffs. Well, unless they find a way to trade for Carmelo Anthony, then the expectations would fast become unreasonable.

For that to happen: First, the Carmelo to New York trade is about as likely as Jessica Alba calling me today (the Knicks don't have the picks and young players Denver would want in a trade; if Melo is coming to the Knicks it is as a free agent, meaning he is willing to forego $10 million or more). So lets take that off the table and talk about this team making the playoffs with the roster it has.

This radically remade team would have to gel quickly, and that would start with Raymond Felton growing into the Steve Nash role faster than expected. Felton is actually a very efficient scorer in transition -- last season for the Bobcats he shot 66.4 percent in transition. The question is can he direct and set up guys well at that pace. Felton also is going to have to be better as the pick-and-roll ball handler, and he shot 47 percent in that role last year - defenses know and fear what Stoudemire does as the roll man, they will back off and dare Felton to make them pay.

The rest of the key players like Anthony Randolph and Danilo Gallinari -- who we think will have pretty big years -- would have to find their sea legs quickly.

The Knicks also would have to play passable defense, particularly in transition -- last season the Knicks gave up more points per possession in transition than they scored. That has to change. Also, the Knicks need to get good rebounding and production out of Ronny Turiaf at center. Or Eddy Curry... yea, that could happen.

More likely the Knicks will: Be the most fun Knicks team to watch in years, however will take some time to gel. They may well get off to slow start. They won't play great defense. There will be flashes of what Randolph can do, Stoudemire will throw down over people, Gallinari should take a step forward. There are pieces here and they are going to be entertaining to watch.

But how to fit all the pieces together will take time. Look for some D'Antoni to throw out wild lineups for a while, trying to find what works. Can a Felton/Toney Douglas backcourt work? Traditional positions will be out the window as Stoudemire may get some run at the five and the three, all with the goal of just finding lineups that work. By the end of the season, if they are healthy, expect the Knicks to be playing better.

And there is nothing wrong with that. Just like it took time to climb out of the hole the franchise was in, it will take time to build something meaningful. These Knicks will be so much more entertaining and fun that the losses will not sting as much. There is hope now, you will see it building. Live with that, enjoy it, revel in it. Don't expect at title right now, expect to have fun.

Oh, and you can safely bet on a season that no matter what the team does on the court there will be a tidal wave of speculation about every decent free agent or trade piece out there.

Prediction: 38 wins, an improvement but in a new and deeper East they will miss the playoffs again by a few games. That will lead some in New York to question if D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh have done what they promised. But those people will forget how far they had to come. The Knicks will be the best they have been in years, with a promise for the future intact. That is a bug step out of the hole for this franchise.

They seem a bit hard on us eh. Probably make the play offs I think we def. can. As usual media hating on knicks.

Prediction: 38 wins, an improvement but in a new and deeper East they will miss the playoffs again by a few games. That will lead some in New York to question if D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh have done what they promised. But those people will forget how far they had to come. The Knicks will be the best they have been in years, with a promise for the future intact. That is a bug step out of the hole for this franchise.

AMEN BROTHER! donnie and mike are the best thing to happen to NY since Ewing

OAKMAN88....jessica alba didnt call yet??..... hmmm im still waiting for halle berry to call me too
but seriously Ill take 38 wins and a shot to make the playoff ....just looking for some improvement and these player to develop

John Hollinger on ESPN.com had us only winning 37 games this year while the 76ers will win like 44 games!

Knicks are still under rated and they will impress tthis year and prove all the haters wrong, it is about time!

Lets not get a big-head on this article. If the Knicks win above 32 games it will be on the strength of PF-Amare/SF-Chandler/SG-Mason/PG-Douglas.
Those are the 4 players that will step up each time when we need a point, a steal, rebound, or a stop.
The rest of our roster is a bunch of young raw role-players it will take awhile to get gellin in any NBA plan. That includes 5th year players Felton & Turiaf.

How tough is the Eastern Conference this upcoming 2010-11 season?
Are East teams preparing for their battles with the Magic/Celtics/Heat?